1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bread conveying apparatus for conveying loaf breads and to a bread packaging system which includes the bread conveying apparatus and packages loaf breads. In particular, the invention relates to a bread conveying apparatus which can place a loaf bread at a predetermined position and a bread packaging system that includes the bread conveying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bread packaging systems have been employed for packing loaf breads, elongated in one direction (for example, by a 3-loaf length), into packaging materials such as polyethylene bags. For example, such a conventional bread packaging system was disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. Sho. 44-1594 (JP1969-1594B). This conventional bread packaging system allows a loaf bread to be conveyed on an in-feed conveyor into a scoop and then received by the reciprocating motion of the scoop in a packaging material made of polyethylene. The loaf bread received in the bag is dropped from the scoop onto a discharge conveyor. Furthermore, the packaged loaf bread is conveyed on the discharge conveyor to the next step (for example, the step for sealing the bag).
Note that the loaf bread packaging scoop moves forward across the loaf bread conveying path and holds a packaging material. Then, the scoop holding the packaging material moves now backward across the conveying path, so that the loaf bread is received in the packaging material. The packaged loaf bread is dropped onto the conveying path. In this manner, the conventional bread packaging system allows the scoop to move back and forth for wrapping loaf breads.
The scoop includes a lower scoop for holding loaf breads. The lower scoop includes a flat base portion on which a loaf bread is placed, a downstream flange continuing to the downstream end of the base portion to extend upward, and an upstream flange continuing to the upstream end of the base portion to extend upward. Furthermore, when viewed across the conveying path, the length of the upstream flange is less than that of the downstream flange. When viewed across the conveying direction, the downstream side of the base portion of the lower scoop is tilted downward.
The conventional bread conveying apparatus and bread packaging system could not easily place the loaf bread precisely at a predetermined position of the member in the next step or the destination of conveyance by the bread conveying apparatus (the lower scoop of the loaf bread packaging apparatus in the case of the bread packaging system). This is because when the loaf bread is dropped, its own elasticity may cause the loaf bread to be bounced up and thereby dislocated from the predetermined position. As a result, the loaf bread located off the predetermined position may possibly be treated improperly in the subsequent step. It was therefore difficult to further improve the throughput of the bread conveying apparatus and the bread packaging system.